Samsung Galaxy M23 review – Samsung’s inexpensive phone gets 5G and 120 Hz

The Galaxy M-series is supposed to offer even more for its price than the Galaxy A-series but is not available at all retailers. The Galaxy M23 is an inexpensive mid-range phone in the series. The predecessor Galaxy M22 was conspicuous for numerous compromises, for example, 5G was not included and there was no option to record 4K videos.

The casing of the 2022 model has changed considerably: there is one lens less, but the camera module now protrudes clearly from the casing. The back is matte and without a haptically noticeable pattern like the predecessor. The color options are very interesting with copper-colored Orange Copper or the very bright Light Blue.

Our test device comes in a Deep Green color, which looks classy. The Galaxy M23 is considerably heavier and a bit bigger than its predecessor, but it feels good in the hand. The front glass convinces with its stability and does not allow pressure to get through to the display.

Pressure marks appear in the liquid crystal when twisting, but the casing looks quite resistant and high-quality overall. 4 GB of working memory is standard in this price range, as is 128 GB of mass storage. The microSD slot is separate, so it can be used with 2 SIM cards at the same time.

It works with good speed in our copy test, and it is on a decent level in the synthetic storage benchmark. Finally, the Galaxy M23 also features 5G, we sorely missed the fast mobile standard in the predecessor. In addition, there are some 4G frequencies, so you can also use the mobile Internet with greater confidence when traveling abroad.

WiFi 5 is on board. The transfer rates in our test with the reference router Asus GT-AXE11000 are on class level. During our test, we randomly check the smartphone’s reception quality every now and then and compare it with other smartphones in the same location.

The Galaxy M23 does quite well here and can reliably access the 4G network, but often offers one bar less reception than high-end phones. Samsung does not guarantee software updates for the inexpensive Galaxy M devices and only issues a security patch every 3 months. Currently, Galaxy M23 has Android 12 and OneUI 4.

1 installed, the security updates are from March 2022 and thus need to be refreshed soon. The 120 Hz screen enables a smooth operation of the phone, and the touchscreen responds very accurately and quickly to inputs. The fingerprint sensor is located in the standby button on the casing’s right.

It can remain active even when the screen is turned off and unlocks the system reliably and almost without delay. Unlocking via facial recognition is also possible, but it is relatively insecure due to the pure software solution and thus cannot be used for unlocking online banking apps, for example. A high-resolution camera with 50 megapixels is used as the main camera in Samsung’s Galaxy M23.

It takes pictures with 12 megapixels by default, so it uses 4 pixels as one pixel each and thus increases the light sensitivity HDR pictures turn out well, the image sharpness could be higher overall, and larger areas show a clear pixel pattern. In low light, the brightening is decent and some details can still be recognized. The wide-angle camera takes decent pictures for snapshots, but details can hardly be made out here, the quality is too low for that.

The correction of distortions at the edges is also rather mediocre. It is not possible to zoom continuously between the two lenses, only to switch directly. A macro lens like in the predecessor is no longer available.

Videos can now be recorded in 4K with 30 fps with the main camera. Even in lower light, the recordings are still convincing with relatively low image noise. We also like the performance of the autofocus and the exposure compensation.

The selfie camera takes quite good pictures that can be enlarged a bit without losing too many details. Was there a slight blue cast in the Galaxy M22 AMOLED screen, the Galaxy M23 has to make do with an IPS screen. The high maximum brightness, the fast 120 Hz, the lack of PWM flickering, and the Full HD resolution make the change in display technology seem quite reasonable.

Thus, you have to put up with a bit less contrast and the accuracy of the color reproduction is only good and not very good like in the predecessor. In addition, the screen of the Galaxy M23 has a slight blue cast over the colors and grayscale. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G 5G is a good choice as SoC for the low-priced smartphone.

Although it is a bit older, it offers class-leading performance rates and enables smooth system operation in most everyday situations. At first glance, some graphics benchmarks seem very similar to those of the Galaxy M22 and yield very similar rates. On the one hand, one should not forget that the Galaxy M23 renders in a higher resolution by default, so the performance is definitely higher here and the picture quality is also better.

On the other hand, it is partly offscreen tests that are rendered in a fixed resolution where the performance is significantly lower than that of the Galaxy A42 5G with the same SoC. The fast UFS memory installed in the Galaxy M23 helps to push the system performance forward. It reduces waiting times, for example during loading.

The smartphone can heat up considerably, especially in the upper left area, when the system is under load. However, the rates are still within the normal range. The mono speaker on the lower edge sounds quite decent and can also get quite loud with up to 89.

3 dB(A). There is also a 3. 5 mm jack for the headphone connection and Bluetooth 5.

0. However, as with many Samsung phones, access to the latest aptX codecs is missing for wireless connectivity. Like the predecessor, the Galaxy M23 can be charged with a maximum of 25 watts, but a charger is no longer included.

This is not so bad in view of the fact that Samsung only included a weak 15-watt charger with the predecessor. However, the battery runtimes are much weaker compared to the predecessor, which might be due to the screen’s higher resolution and the higher refresh rate. However, the phone’s stamina is not bad at all with 16:44 minutes in our WLAN test.

Although an IPS screen sounds like a step backward compared to the predecessor with an AMOLED display at first glance, there are some advantages, especially for cheap phones: Samsung managed to increase the resolution and frame rate due to the cheaper IPS panel. In addition, the PWM flickering, which is annoying for some, is eliminated and you do not have to make any concessions in terms of maximum brightness. Sure, those who love the even illumination and high contrast of AMOLED panels will get a bit less with the Galaxy M23, but overall the phone seems to be a more well-rounded package compared to the predecessor: there is now 5G, the possibility to record 4K videos, and faster memory.

Samsung’s Galaxy M23 comes without OLED and PWM, but with 5G, and fast memory. Not such a bad swap in our eyes. However, the Galaxy M23 still has a mediocre update cycle and a noticeable temperature increase under load.

There is also no macro lens anymore, which reduces the flexibility of the camera system a bit. The battery runtimes are not quite as good as the predecessor, but still on a high level. If it should be an OLED display for little money after all, then the predecessor Galaxy M22 , the Motorola Moto G41 , or the Redmi Note 11 could be seen as alternatives, but all three are only 4G phones.

More power is available in the Xiaomi Poco M4 Pro , which features 5G but also has to do without an OLED panel. Directly from the manufacturer 279 Euros for the Galaxy cell phone. On the Internet, the Samsung Galaxy M23 is already available for considerably less at the time of testing, starting at around 222 Euros.

Our partner stores notebooksbilliger. de and amazon. de also have a smartphone on offer.

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